Rain
by Alilacia
Summary: RayKai fic. Possible MaxTyson. Max arranges a gettogether for the Blade Breakers. It's a night of laughs and trials as feelings start to be stirred amongst a few of the group. Is it possible to fall in love with your teammate? Please R & R.
1. Rainy Day

Title: Rain  
Pairings: Ray/Kai, as for the others well... why don't you let me know which ones you want.  
Warnings: possible use of language (mostly by me. :laughs nervously: uu)  
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters within the show. I am not making any money from this fic, and if you do decided to sue the best you can hope for is my notebooks and the pencil I jot down all my notes with. :grins cheerfully and waves: we now return to our regularly scheduled programming. Please enjoy the movie... er... story.

Rain - by Sailor Gaia

The storm raged outside as a lone figure rushed through the unrelenting rain. He pulled his coat tighter around his body and ran faster, his shoes impacting harshly with the hard, rain soaked ground.

He dashed under the porch of a house and paused to catch his breath. Pulling his coat from his body he pushed his sopping hair from his face. The warmth from the house he was standing in front of greeting him as he unlocked the door. He only hoped he could get upstairs before he met anyone else. But, as always, fate and the weather were against him. He stopped in his tracks as a harsh voice rang out from the adjoining room.

"Where have you been?"

The voice was as cold as the rain outside and the dripping man steeled his gaze, before walking into the room.  
He saw an fairly old man with jet black hair sitting in one of the red plush chairs.

A fire had been stoked and it looked like the butlers had already been around with the food. His examination of the room was halted as he saw the man's eyes narrow, reminding him of the question he had been asked just moments before.

"Out." The reply was curt, and to an unaccustomed viewer would seem harsh but the man showed no outward emotion other than the slight narrowing of his eyes.

"I expected more from you Kai."

Kai ignored the last comment and, walking swiftly with a grace rarely seen, he made to exit the room.

This got a reaction out of the man sitting in the plush chair, so much so that the chair was nearly thrown across the room in anger as he swiftly stood up and advanced towards Kai.

Kai didn't get any further towards the door as a hand gripped his elbow and started to squeeze.

"Are you forgetting who put you up boy?" he asked harshly and continued to tighten his grip on the teenage boy's elbow. Kai showed no reaction to his tightening grasp, and this only served to anger him further. "When your good for nothing parents died I could have left you to rot on the streets, but instead I took you in and raised you as my own." The lack of reaction from Kai at his words fuelled his anger and his free hand impacted sharply with the side of Kai's face. His anger rippled again as Kai refused to react to anything. There was once a time where Kai would have forgotten his place and attacked. Such is the way of a child and Kai, despite his best efforts, had been nothing but a terror when he first came to live with them. He had the same ideals of any child. And he wanted all that a child could ever want.

This was idealistic nonsense and he made sure to stamp it out of little Kai. Before long Kai stopped asking, and thus began the formation of the barrier that today keeps him from getting close to anyone... and anyone from getting close to him.

His eyes narrowed to slits and he pushed Kai away from him roughly.

"Go to your room, there will be no food for you today Kai. See that you learn your lesson. Don't disappoint me again Kai." The only sign that Kai had heard him was the slight inclination of his head as he left the room.

RING RING  
RING RING  
RING RING  
RING RING  
RING RING  
RING RING  
RING RING  
RING RING  
RING RI-

"Hey dudes-"  
"Hey Tyson, I was-"  
"Me and the home boy ain't here right now, out chillin' with the dudes. So get yappin' and leave ya number after the beep and we'll be chattin' to ya soon!-"  
"Grandpa! Just finish the message already!"  
"-BEEP-"  
Max grinned as he heard their latest answer phone message. Tyson's grandpa liked to change it at least every week. Last weeks was Hawaiian themed and left Max laughing so hard he couldn't even say what he rang up to say.  
"Hey Tyson, it's me Max. I was wondering if you all wanted to meet up. I know we've got the American tournament coming up and all but we really should meet up. I'm going to ring up Ray and Kai later after this and Kenny is in already. So, give me a ring to let me know if you're coming. See ya round buddy."  
"-BEEP-"

Ray had just listen to the message from Max. I think I'll go, it's been quite a while since I've seen any other others. We haven't really had all that much contact since the Asian tournament finished.  
Soon after he had this thought he rang up Max. It wasn't long before all the arrangements were finalised and he was on his way to Max's house.  
He had left a small note on the desk for the other white tigers. Ever since the Aisan tournament was over Ray had stayed with them. They were finally on their way to being friends and Ray, for the first time in a while, felt at ease around them. Well, okay, he still felt a bit uncomfortable around Mariah, and was fully aware of her crush on him. He didn't return her feelings though and he still didn't know how to tell her. Thankfully they had a lot to catch up on that he was never left alone in the same room as Mariah. He didn't really want to find out which way the conversation would swing if that ever happened.

He looked up to the sky and frowned. Those black clouds in the sky did not look good. It would probably thunder tonight. It just smelt like it would.

He quickened his pace and cursed in chinese as the skies chose that moment to open. At least he was near to Max's house.

"Wow, it's really coming down." Max was peering out his window at the storm outside.  
"It really did start up quickly, didn't it Max."

Kenny was, no change there, sitting in front of his laptop. Last night he had had an idea of a way to modify all their beyblades. Another one came when he was walking to Max's and he was now adding it into his laptop before he forgot it.  
"Yeah..." he trailed off as the storm seemed to intensify. Suddenly a flash of black and white caught his eyes. "Hey, it's Ray!" He dashed from his spot at the window and rushed to let Ray in.

"Thanks Max." Ray paused to shake some of the water from his hair. "So, who else in coming?"  
"Tyson and Kai are the only ones who aren't here yet. But then... I didn't hear from Kai, so I don't know if he is coming." Max said as he returned with a towel. Ray accepted the towel and said, "but then Kai hasn't really been one to go to social events. And Tyson has never been on time for anything."  
"That's true," said Max.  
The sound of banging on the door made them all jump slightly and Max went to open the door. Standing in the door was Tyson and...  
"Kai?"

That got the attention of everyone in the room (even Dizzi would have craned her neck to see if she wasn't in the computer), and some serious rubbernecking was going on.

"You gonna let us in Maxy?"

"Oh uh, sure." Max moved out of the way to let Tyson and Kai in. "Glad you decided to join us Kai."  
"Hmph, I'm only here to see if you have been slacking off since the tournament." Kai said and quickly headed into Max's kitchen.  
"Uhh..." Max shook his head at the typical reaction from Kai.  
"Hey Tyson."  
"Oh hey Ray, didn't see you there." Tyson walked over and slung his arm over Ray's shoulder. "You mind if I borrow that towel there bud?"  
Ray shook his head and handed the towel to Tyson. "It's not mine anyway, it's Max's."  
"Max?" Tyson looked over to Max and grinned as Max nodded. "Thanks dude. It's really kicking it up out there."  
Kenny looked up from his laptop and closed it, ignoring the slight protest from Dizzi.  
"Well, the weather forecasts have been saying that it is going to rain all week."  
"Yet another piece of information we never really needed to hear from our resident genius, the chief." Tyson chucked the towel back into Ray's arms and walked over to Kenny. "You brought your laptop! this is supposed to be a time of fun, eating, drinking and watching tv. Not working on your laptop."  
"But working on my laptop is fun."  
Tyson sighed as he realised his point would never get through to Kenny.  
"Hey, where's Ray?"  
Kenny looked around at Tyson's words. He was right, they were two members down.  
"I saw him go into the kitchen." said Max as he picked up Tyson, Ray and Kai's coats. "He probably went to get a drink."  
"Alright! while we're waiting for Ray and Mr-Sourpuss why don't we watch a movie?"  
Tyson didn't wait for them to answer and grabbed their hands, dragging them into Max's living room.

"Hey Kai." Kai looked up and saw that Ray was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.  
"Hn," Kai acknowledged the comment but didn't say anything as he went into the fridge to grab a drink. He shivered slightly as the cold air from the fridge hit his chilled body. Ray frowned when he saw Kai shiver and walked over to the fridge. Kai pulled back and barely managed to stop himself from jumping when he found Ray standing just in front of him. His eyes betrayed his confusion as Ray pulled his drink out of his hands and handed him the towel.  
"Here, you're soaked."  
Kai looked shocked for a bit, but nodded. He accepted the towel and used it to dry his soaking wet hair. He would leave why he accepted to later when he was at home.  
Home.  
He felt a wave of emotion run through him as he thought about his home. He would have to be careful how he acted around his grandfather if he didn't want him to do anything more than starve and slap him.

Ray watched as Kai's eyes turned hard. He would have given anything at that moment to know what Kai was thinking, and couldn't help but wonder if it was something he had done or said. But then... the only thing he had done was offer Kai a towel. Was Kai so unused to receiving help that he pushed away anyone who tries to give it to him?

Ray took this time to look at Kai without him knowing. The dampness of his hair and face made him seem more innocent if that were even possible for Kai, and Ray felt a stirring within him. Okay, he did think that Kai was kinda cute, who wouldn't. But that didn't mean he liked him as anything more than a friend. He couldn't. And besides... he wasn't even gay. His upbringing had seen to that. The village he had grown up in didn't tolerate homosexuality very well and had taught them all from day one that it was not something worth doing.  
Ray noticed that Kai had finished his drink and quickly tore his gaze away from the stoic teens dark red eyes. It wouldn't be good if Kai caught him staring into his eyes.  
Kai started walking out of the kitchen and paused only to incline his head. A wordless conversation flashed between the two in that instant and Ray nodded, following him out of the room.  
Why do you always shut us out Kai? Can't you see that we are your friends? Ray shook his head and moved to catch up with Kai. He would think about that later when there wasn't a movie marathon to watch.

Kai settled into the chair in the far corner and glanced at Ray. He had noticed how the chinese teen had been staring at him while he had finished off his drink and, he would never admit this out loud, it had unnerved him a bit. Usually the only person to ever stare at him was his grandfather. And in that case it was usually a cold, calculating stare... and nothing good came out of it.  
But Ray was different. He had not seen anything bad in Ray's golden eyes, in fact Ray seemed to be in thought. He briefly wondered what the chinese teen could possibly have been thinking about.  
"Ooo yeah, bring on the good stuff!"

Tyson's energetic cry brought him out of his musings and he looked to see that Max had dragged out his box of videos and DVD's. Tyson was going through them with a huge grin on his face. One that intensified when he dragged out a DVD. As soon as Tyson stopped waving it around in the air he saw that the film he had picked out was 'Resident Evil.'  
Typical. Trust Tyson to pick out a film with enough blood and gore to make a make up team jealous.

He sat back and watched as the opening credits started to roll. He cast one last glance at Ray, before turning his attention back to the film.

The film had just finished and the comments started flying. Tyson thought it was 'the best movie I've seen this year', Kenny had been going through every shade of the rainbow over the course of the movie, before settling on white, Max thought the film was great, but said that 'The Others' was better.

And thus began the great movie war of 2002.

Ray, wisely, declined to enter this particular argument that had now degenerated to Tyson having Max in a choke hold and trying to get him admit that 'Resident Evil' was better than 'The Others'.  
He chuckled at their antics and dodged a pillow aimed for Tyson as he reached for the video and DVD box.  
Heeeyyy. Max had quite a collection here.

He even spotted a few that were in the cinema at the moment. As well as one that wasn't due out until christmas. Hmph. He would never have thought Max as one to have pirated videos and DVD's.  
He learnt something new about them every day. For example, just last week he had found out that Kenny talked in his sleep. Most of the time it was just jumbled words but the first time he heard him he was somehow pulled into a conversation. It was one of the weirdest conversations he had ever had. They talked for about half an hour about lots of different things ranging from: "If I put a slant on the attack ring it should increase speed and attack power, what do you think?" to: "I really like your bunny slippers, where did you get them?"

If he hadn't been so disturbed he probably would have started laughing and woken everybody up.

He picked out a video at random, looked at the title, and cringed. What the hell was 'Fireman Sam' doing in here? Taking one look at Tyson and Max, who were still arguing (Kenny had disappeared somewhere and Kai was starting to look pissed off, (not that Ray could blame him - he even had that little tick of the vein in his forehead) he decided to take action. Holding the copy of 'Fireman Sam' in his right hand, he positioned it like you would a frisbee, pulled his hand back and aimed. A few seconds later twin cries of pain were heard as the video rebounded of Tyson's head and hit Max square in the face. Both heads shot up and began to look for the culpret. By this time Ray had quickly pushed the box back to where it was before and tried to look suitably confused. It must have worked because they looked away and turned to Kai.  
Kai glared at them before closing his eyes. They looked to Ray again and he shrugged, imitating Kai's posture in the chair, while waiting for Kenny to come back in the room.

Further suspect-finding was cut off as Kenny walked into the room with a bowl of popcorn in his hands. He didn't get very far as Tyson practically jumped on the petrified genius and started to inhale the food.

Poor Kenny, geez, you could lose a hand in there!

Ray felt sorry for the poor genius and was about to go into no-man's-land and liberate the popcorn from Hier Tyson's hands when Kenny pulled four bowls of popcorn from behind the chair. Three out of the four teens grinned, and he and Max got up to grab a bowl of popcorn before Tyson saw it. Kai was the last to get up, Ray noticed, and the last to sit down.  
He was suddenly distracted as Tyson's popcorn bowl came out of nowhere and landed on his head. He growled as Tyson, Kenny and Max's laughter reached his ears. He didn't hear Kai laughing but a quick glance (covered up as a glare at all those who were laughing) showed him that Kai was amused by this. His face maybe able to hide all his emotions but his eyes were another story.

Ray felt his anger dissipating slightly as he saw the amusement in Kai's eyes. It was worth being the butt of jokes for a while if that meant Kai was starting to open up and allow himself to experience emotions.

Max picked out a movie this time and soon the group fell silent. This continued for several hours and before long it was dark outside. As the hours wore on a decision to get some sleep was made as Kenny had already fallen asleep in his sleeping bag and Tyson wasn't far off.

Soon the group fell asleep one by one. The last thing Ray saw before he fell asleep was the flickering of the shadows caused by the storm outside, and Kai's sleeping face.

Authors notes.

Okay, it may not appear like it now but this is going to be a Ray/Kai fic. So any Ray/Mariah fans STEER CLEAR! They aren't going to get together, and the only relationship they have is one as friends or possibly brother/sister.

I don't know about any other pairings, so if you want to give me your suggestions I'll be happy to hear them.

Rain is a song by The Corrs. I don't know why but it just came into my head as I started writing this and so I used it for the title.

Oh and, I haven't studied German for at least four years so I have no idea if I have spelt the one German word I used in here right.

This is set just after the Asian tournament, and Ray is living with the White Tigers.  
Tyson is still living with his grandfather.  
Max is still living with his father.  
And Kai is living with his grandfather.

Now, I don't know a whole lot about Kai's grandfather (seeing as he was only in one episode that I have seen), so I don't know if I have kept him in character or not. But in my mind Kai's grandfather is an evil little b$tard. You don't have to agree with me, but there is just something about that man that I just don't like. Oh and I don't know a thing about Kai's past. I just get the impression that he had a really bad childhood, and the fact that he lives with his grandfather (when he isn't with the Blade Breakers) shows that his parents aren't around. I don't know if they actually died, or were bad parents and abandoned him with his grandfather, but in this story they are dead.  
If anyone knows Kai's history I would really like to hear it. Now that you mention it... I wouldn't mind knowing the other guys history's as well. So if anyone knows them could you let me know.

Sailor G 


	2. Dreams, hope, and memories

Authors Notes.

Hey,  
these are at the beginning of the fic instead of the end this time.

I just got one thing to say:

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

To tell you the truth I was only expecting about two reviews at best, and I got FOURTEEN!

Wow! Your reviews really brightened my day, and it's nice to know that you actually like what I write.  
So... I'm going to answer all your reviews here.

Goddess of Evil - Thanks, that really meant a lot to me And aren't Ray and Kai just soooo cute together!

Dark Dragoon - Awww. Thanks! I really didn't think it was as good as you said.

jade-tiger - Ray/Kai are so cute! (I know I've said that before, but what the hey!) and I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.

yami no hikari - well::chuckles: I finished the chapter like you ordered

Bluedemon - Thanks for the history's, and for the comments. You know that only you and one other reviewer mentioned their histories, even though one didn't know any.

SilverDeathscythe - Aww, thanks. :Holds up home-made Yaoi Forever flag: Here, I made one for you. Ya can use it to beat any flamers senseless if you like. Heh, not that a lot of damage would be done. I think tissue paper is harder that this thing. Oo

: D - Thanks! and I will.

Ians-Koibito - I know. Don't they just scream 'cute' when you see them together?

lilmissgoten - Aw no, don't cry. Here :hands lilmissgoten a beyblade hankie: And might I say that your bit beast sounds so cute! although with a name like Saberclaw it would be like calling a three-headed dog 'Fluffy'. Oh no.. wait... that's already been done. nn Heh, his name aside... aww :get starry eyed: Saberclaw sounds like one really cute bit beast!  
You have a Kai plushie! I so want one of them::begs: You gotta tell me where you got that from::crickets heard chirping: Well, now that I've successfully terrified the other reviewers... let's move on shall we. Thanks again for the review!

Luine - Awww :blushes: you think this is absolutely fantastic? Er... I never expected that. Good luck with your brother, if he is anything like mine then I give you my condolences. Sorry, this took longer than I thought to write. My Dad's moving to Redruth at the moment, and I've been enlisted into helping. Joy... it means I'll have to take care of my 6 yr old hyperactive step brother for a few days. May the world beware. uu

Blackitten-chan - Thanks! You and one other where the only two that actually mentioned the beybladers histories.  
Not that I mind, I still learnt a lot from everyone's reviews!

XPKoganei4XP - Er... 'Write or Die'... hmmmm, that's a new one. Heh, well, since I wrote it does that mean you won't hunt me down with weapon of choice in hand? Thanks for the comment though. And I hope this chapter has enough Kai/Ray for you.

Mystik Raven - thankies!

Yoink Daydurfurits - of course I'm going to have a second chapter. I wouldn't reeeeeaaaaaaaaaly leave you hanging like that. :mutters under breath: much. Thanks for the comments YD (if I can call you that). They really make an authoress happy.

So... thanks again for all your reviews.

I really hope I kept all the characters in character.

I can't speak for Kai in some of these scenes, but chalk it up him being upset, k?

Title: Rain  
Pairings: Ray/Kai, as for the others well... why don't you let me know which ones you want.  
Warnings: possible use of language (mostly be me. :laughs nervously: uu)  
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters within the show. I am not making any money from this fic, and if you do decided to sue the best you can hope for is my notebooks and the pencil I jot down all my notes with. :grins cheerfully and waves: we now return to our regularly scheduled programming. Please enjoy the movie... er... story.

Rain

Chapter 1 - Dreams, hope, and memories.

"I'm sorry Sir but this child's parents were killed in a head on collision. We checked his records and you were listed as his closest living relative. We thought it best if he stayed with you. It's either that, or have the child put into care and be adopted."

The policeman and social worker stood in the front door of a rather elaborate mansion.

"Hmph."  
The social worker continued speaking as the dark-haired man glanced down at the small child by her feet.  
"You have to understand sir that if you do not take him in he will most likely end up in care for the rest of his life."  
He silently sighed and looked back down at the child hear his feet. His hair was blue and grey, and his eyes were red. They were warm like a fire on a cold winters day, and were looking up at him with wonder, and curiosity.

So this was his grandson.

He hadn't seen much of Kai over the years, actually he hadn't seen him at all. He had only seen a picture of him just after he had been born. His mother was holding him in her arms, a tired but ecstatic expression on her face, and his father was beaming at the camera.

Yes, this was definitely his grandson. He had his mothers eyes, and a cross between his mothers and fathers hair. And the expression on the small child's face was one he had seen so many times on his son, and so many other children over the years.

He would make sure little Kai was nothing like his parents.

He made sure his expression was one of happiness, under-tinged with sadness, and knelt down to embrace his grandson.

"I'll be happy to take him. I'm only sorry that he will grow up without his parents. I can't believe that things turned out like this." He closed his eyes and willed a tear to fall. When he opened his eyes the social worker and policeman were looking at him with expressions of concern.  
Hmph, save your concern for someone who actually cares.  
"All the papers are here, if you could please full them in and bring them back, we would be very grateful."  
He stopped only to nod at the social worker and ushered Kai into the house. "Thank you for bringing my grandson here. I'll be sure to bring those papers to you later this week. Sayonara."

He shut the door swiftly and turned to Kai. Kai's child-like curiosity had won out and he was taking in the room with an awe-like expression. His eyes narrowed and he knelt down in front of Kai.

It was time to teach him the proper way to act.

His eyes became hard as rock and he gripped his grandson's arms tightly. Yes, Kai would soon be perfect. Nothing would stop him from moulding his grandson into the perfect child. And the perfect beyblader.

Kai looked into his grandfathers eyes and smiled. A smile that faded as soon as he saw the look in his grandfathers eyes. A terrible feeling of foreboding swept over him and he tried to shy away from his grandfathers grasp.

That warm look that had prompted him to trust the man was gone and Kai suddenly felt very afraid. He felt tears come to his eyes and sniffed as he felt just how hard his grandfather was gripping him.

He started to cry openly as a hard smack landed on his arm. Why was this man he had been told was his grandfather, acting like this. He had always thought that family were supposed to look after you, not hit you.

His crying didn't cease, and those were the last thoughts he had as his grandfather raised his hand again and hit Kai with just enough force that he blacked out.

As darkness claimed him he dimly wondered if tomorrow would be like this as well.

Kai shot up from his place on the floor. His breathing was harsh and sweat was beading along his forehead. Wiping the sweat off his forehead he cursed quietly in japanese. Why was he having these dreams (more like nightmares) again now. He shivered as the nightmare shot up in his mind again.

The dream was of when he had first moved in with his grandfather. He had been filled with the same ideals of any child, and had been confused when the man he had been told by the nice social worker was his grandfather started hitting him. He guessed that it was because he had nearly started crying, but still that didn't justify his actions.

He sighed and flopped back down onto his sleeping bag. It wasn't as though things had changed at all over the years so why was this still bothering him?

Abandoning all pretence of trying to figure out the nightmare he had just had, he sat up in his sleeping bag and looked around the room. At least it appeared that he hadn't shouted out when he woke. Everyone was sleeping soundly, even Ray, so he must have woken up earlier than usual. A quick check to his wrist watch showed that he was right. It was 6:18am.

Damn, this was early even for him.

He laid back down and rolled over onto his side. If he closed his eyes for long enough, maybe he would get back to sleep.

The sound of Tyson's snores reached his ears as the room came into a blurry focus. Max groaned slightly as the sunlight, coming in through a crack of his curtains, hit his eyes, and reached blindly for his wrist watch.

It was coming up to eight thirty.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. Yep, it was definitely time to get up.

The question was could he get the others up?

He looked over to the other sleeping bags and was surprised to see that both Kai and Ray were still asleep. Usually they were up by now. Man, they must have been tired.

A muffled groan was heard from his left, and he turned to see a very groggy Tyson pushing himself up from his sleeping bag.  
"Morning Tyson. Sleep well?"  
Another muffled groan was his answer and Max grinned. Tyson was so not a morning person.  
"G'way, 'ax." Tyson flopped back down onto his sleeping bag and pulled the pillow over his head.  
Max grinned again and poked Tyson in the ribs with his toe. He felt Tyson shift, and move away from his touch.

"Come on Tyson, you've got to get up." Max rolled his eyes as Tyson muttered something illegible and rolled over in his sleeping bag. Max grinned as an idea came to him and he leant closer to Tyson's ear. He took a deep breath and said (loud enough to reach Tyson, but not loud enough to wake their sleeping friends); "oh no, we used up all the food last night!"

This achieved exactly what Max hoped it would, and soon Max was fighting to keep his laughter in check. Tyson was awake in seconds and was looking around to room wildly. Max fell to the ground holding his ribs as Tyson started hopping around around the room. In his half-asleep/half-panicky state Tyson had his leg down his jacket sleeve and was trying to pull his trousers over his head. The fact that he was still in his pajamas, and his hair looked like he had just finished a part time job as a lighting rod, was the icing on the cake.

"We gotta head down to the shops. I'm a growing boy and I need my food!"

By this point Max was paralytic with laughter and their escapades were strating to wake up their fellow beybladers.

Kenny was the first to sit up. Taking one look at Tyson 'I got dressed in the dark' Kinomiya, and Max, who was laughing so hard he was turning red, he rolled his eyes and started to get dressed. At the rate those two were going he wasn't going to get back to sleep.

Kai opened his eyes a crack and was hit in the face with Tyson's hat. He growled and chucked it back at Tyson. Scoring a perfect three pointer as it rebounded off the lamp, ricocheied off the tv, and landed on Tyson's head.

The sound of quiet laughter brought him out of his mood, and he turned to see Ray laughing quietly at the site before them. Kai's breath caught as he took in the sight of Ray.

His hair was slightly mussed from the night's sleep, and his bandana was gone, along with his white chinese outfit. For a reason that Kai couldn't quite put his finger on he thought that Ray looked kawaii without his bandana on. Or maybe it was because he wasn't wearing his chinese outfit. The combination of all his clothing, the bandana and stony golden orange stare made him look very intimidating to his opponents. Now that the icy, yet determined stare wasn't clouding his gaze, and the clothing that made him unique was gone, Ray didn't seem quite so...

Ugh! What the hell am I thinking. Ray is just my team-mate. There is no way that I could possibly like him as anything more than that!

But deep down Kai knew that it wasn't true.

Ray was the only Beyblader in their team that he had had a grudging respect for since the beginning. It was the same kind of respect he held for anyone who was worthy of having that respect. Like the other members of the Blade Breakers. He would never, ever, say it to their faces. (Hmph, it might be worth it to see the look on Tyson's face) But he really thought that they were all good beybladers. They had definitely changed a lot, becoming world-class beybladers compared to what they were when they first met. Yes, they had most definitely earned his respect, and, dare he say it... his trust and admiration.

That didn't mean that he gave his trust out freely. Oh no, that was something that you had to earn. While he may have given it out without a second thought as a child, he had changed now. And he wasn't so willing to give his trust or his respect to anyone.

Ray had earned his respect on the day he saw him battling Tyson. The way he fought, it was swift and graceful. Just like the tiger whose bit he controlled. Well, not so much control... more like... worked with. The bond he shared with his Driger was clear to Kai from the very first time that he saw Ray call him out. And it was also clear that Ray was definitely an opponent who would not be so easy to beat, as so many of the beybladers in the tournament had been.

His thoughts ceased as he noticed that Ray was looking at him again, only Ray was trying not to make it obvious.

Ray blushed slightly and quickly pulled his gaze away from Kai's. That was close! He really hoped that Kai hadn't caught him watching him. There was just something about Kai that drew him to him. Somehow Ray got the impression that there was more to Kai that met the eye, and maybe, just maybe, there was a reason behind Kai's cold exterior. They had hardly been told anything about Kai's family, or his past so he really didn't have anything to go on there. That and... Ray's blush intensified slightly and he turned away, pretending to busy himself with his clothes. Kai did look kinda cute without those blue triangles he always painted on his face. Without them he seemed less like a figure in the distance, one that kept moving away from you no matter how hard you might try to get close to them, and more like a normal teenager. Well, as normal you could get for a teenager who skips school and is a member of a world famous beyblading team.  
His hands stilled in his bag and an unwitting thought crossed his mind.  
Oh my god. I think I have a crush on Kai!

Ray was torn between being disgusted or pleased at this 'revelation'. One the one hand, Kai was really strong-willed and had a charismatic air about him (despite his lack of social skills) and the fact that he was good looking wasn't a bad bonus. And he wouldn't mind getting to know him a bit better. But on the other hand... he had been raised to believe that homosexuality was wrong. This had been his belief as well, and was that of every member of their village. So these thoughts were totally alien to him. He didn't know what to do. Should he tell Kai his feelings and risk being ostracized by the group. Or should he keep his feelings to himself, and let things pan out. Besides, he didn't even know if Kai like him like that. Kai wasn't exactly the most open person in the world, and he sure wasn't the easiest person to read. It's probably just some little infatuation on my part. This thought brought Ray back to Mariah and he mentally winced. Oh man, Mariah!

The only problem with falling for someone else meant that Mariah would unsheathe her claws and use them as Galux's scratching post.

"So, what are we going to do today?"

Max's question brought him back to the land of the living and he pulled away from his bag. Slipping on his white chinese outfit and bandana he awaited peoples responses.

"Well, I want to go down to the park. There's always some beyblade action going on down there, and I want to check it out!"  
Tyson, not surprisingly, thought with two things: his stomach and his beyblade. Since he had found two bowls of popcorn from last night and was already pulling the last pieces out of the bowl, the beyblade won this time.

Kenny nodded as well and said, "I think I'll go with you Tyson. But I won't go to watch the beybladers. I need to pick up some more supplies for our beyblades. The ideas I had yesterday require more sophisticated parts than I have access to at the moment."

"You guys mind if I tag along?" asked Max, grinning as Kenny and Tyson shook their heads. "Kai... Ray...?" Max turned to Kai and Ray, awaiting their answer.

"I'm going to stay here, I have better things to be doing with my time than watch Tyson blade with a couple of lousy beybladers." Kai shook his head and started to gather his clothes. "Besides, I need to go home in while anyway."

Only Ray caught the slight wave of emotion in Kai's red eyes as he mentioned his home. Ray started to wonder just what Kai felt for his home.

"Ray?"

"I'll think I'll stay here you guys. To tell you the truth I'm really wiped after yesterday, and I'm not really in the mood for strolling around the park today. And besides, I can get more practising done if I go home." said Ray, hoping that the others accepted his reasons.

To his relief Kenny, Max and Tyson nodded and started to get up. Albeit Tyson was slower to get moving than Kenny or Max. It didn't take long for the three boys to start packing up their sleeping bags and make the room semi-normal again.

Max disappeared into the kitchen calling, "anybody want any coffee?"

There was no answer from the group, as Tyson was doing his best impression of a mole (burying his head into his bag to try and locate his beyblade), Kenny was once again wearing Dizzi's keypads down a few millimeters (and when he was writing at that speed, nothing, not even the White Tigers pranced through the room doing a rendition of Swan Lake, could have stopped him.), Ray was in the process of unbandaging his hair (but he did raise his head and nod), and Kai had... hey, where was Kai?

Oh well. Max shrugged and walked into the kitchen. His house wasn't very big so Kai couldn't have gone very far, and if his time with the Blade Breakers had taught him anything it was that Kai always filled his quota of disappearing at least 3 times in every day. He was just getting a head-start today.

Shaking his head Max walked into his kitchen before stopping dead in the doorway.

WHAT THE HELL HAD HAPPENED IN HERE!

It looked like a pack of rabid beyblades had stormed through, starting at the ... fridge...

"Tyson..."

Max growled under his breath and gingerly stepped over a stack of haphazardly piled pizza boxes.

It took him under five minutes to reach the end of the kitchen. Stopping twice to step over three bottles of cola, once to squeeze his way past a chair that was piled high with an assortment of used candy bar wrappers, and again to duck under the bag of liquorice shoelaces that had someway... somehow... become attached to the over head fan. And seeing that the fan was turned up as high as it could go meant that if Max wasn't careful it was bye-bye messy kitchen, hello decapitation by liquorice laces.

I'd better deal with the fan first.

He pulled over the chair and put his left foot on the chair. He was about to do the same with his right foot when he heard a squishing sound under his foot.  
Max quickly pulled his foot back up but the damage had already been done. He grimaced as he saw the mess on the bottom of his sock. And ewwww... it was rapidly soaking into them as well.

"Ugh!" Max took of his sock, and started to head towards the washing machine. He held the sock out in front of him like it was chock fill of radioactive waste and chucked it into the washing machine. "I knew Tyson was a big eater, but man... he sure knows how to make a mess!"

"Whoa, it looks like a herd of elephants ran through here!"

Max turned to see that Kenny, Ray and Kai were standing in the doorway.

"I didn't know Tyson was up yet." This offhand comment from Ray got everybody laughing, well, okay... Kai wasn't laughing but he did think it was funny.

When the laughter died down a slightly breathless Max turned to Ray.

"What do you mean 'I didn't know Tyson was up yet'? He started getting up as soon as me and the chief did."

Kai shook his head and moved into the room. "He fell right back asleep as soon as you walked into the kitchen."

"Despite Tyson saying that he wanted to go to the park he really isn't one to get up this early in the morning." Said Kenny as he took in the damage done to Max's kitchen with wide eyes.

"But it's," Max checked his wrist watch, "just gone quarter past nine. That isn't early."

"You forget, this is Tyson we are talking about here."

Max couldn't help but agree with Kai and nodded. "You're right. I forgot. Tyson's body clock is about two or three time zones behind ours."

"He gave up trying to find his beyblade and just collapsed back onto his sleeping bag." Said Ray and went to stand next to Kai.

Max sighed and started cleaning up the mess in his kitchen.

"And none of you tried to wake him up?"

"I didn't have a red pepper with me." Ray said and lobbed one of the used candy wrappers into the bin. "And Kai couldn't find any ice."

Three pairs of eyes were suddenly focussed on Kai and he shrugged, closing his eyes, and leant back against the wall with his arms closed over his chest.

"The chances of waking Tyson up, and keeping him awake at this hour are phenomenal. I don't think even Mr Dickinson could wake him up."

"I'll say. That man is more devious that I ever gave him credit for. And I thought you were bad Max." Ray shook his head as the day Mr Dickinson woke Tyson up played back in his mind.

Ah yes. That incident would forever be known as the shaving foam incident.

During the last legs of the Asian Tournament the Blade Breakers were once again faced with the task of getting Tyson up in time for their match.  
They were fast running out of ideas when Mr Dickinson walked into the room.  
Let's just say that it involved Tyson, Mr Dickinson, and a bottle of shaving foam.

The best part was that Max had the presence of mind to take a picture. And said picture was now framed and went everywhere they went. It was just a little insurance to make sure that Tyson got to his matches in time.

As for why they didn't use it today... Well... somewhere along the lines Tyson had gotten his hands on the picture and refused to let them know where it was. It was only a matter of time before Tyson let his guard down and then they would find it. The other members of the Blade Breakers just hoped it would be before they went to America for the American Tournament.

"Oh man, my Dad is so gonna freak when he sees this mess. Oh I am so gonna kill Tyson when he gets back up again." Max's grumbling and complaining brought Ray out of his thoughts and he started to help Max clean up the kitchen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Hurricane Tyson has left the building." Ray muttered under his breath as he nearly tripped over the pile of pizza boxes on the floor. Even after all this time he was still amazed at how much mess one person could make.

Kenny moved in and started to help as well. Kai looked at the scene for a minute before deciding to help. At least if he was here, then it meant he didn't have to go back home so quickly... and back to his grandfather.

Soon the four members of the Blade Breakers were slowly, but surely cleaning up the mess.

It was now ten o'clock.

It had taken forty five minutes to clean up the kitchen, and it wasn't just Max who wanted to inflict serious bodily harm to Tyson.

"Phew. At least it's over with." Max sighed and wiped his face with the corner of his orange dungarees. "All in favour of killing Tyson." All four beybladers raised their hands and Max nodded. "Right. But what's say we leave killing Tyson to later. As tempting as it is I really don't want to do any more damage to my house right now."

The other three teens nodded reluctantly and followed Max into the living room.

Does he ever get up in the morning?

Tyson was snoring up a storm and the four of them sighed.

"One step forward, two steps backward." Ray said as he started thinking up a way to get Tyson up, and one that made sure he stayed up.

Max shook his head and walked over to Tyson. Placing his hand on Tyson's shoulder he tried to wake him up. That only resulted in Tyson mumbling something that the others couldn't quite decipher before he shrugged off Max's hand. Max looked put out for a minute before the proverbial light bulb sparked into life above his head.

Or it could just have been the faulty wiring.

Ignoring the confused looks from the other teens Max walked over to the door and knocked on it before opening it.

"YES MR DICKINSON. WE'RE ALL UP BUT TYSON ISN'T. OH... YOU'LL TRY AND WAKE HIM UP FOR US. THANKS! HE'S IN THE LIVING ROOM IF YOU WANT TO GIVE IT A TRY."

Max's voice reached them and Ray and Kenny had to hide their laughter, and Kai hide his grin, as Tyson shot up in his sleeping bag and his eyes started darting around the room.

"I'm up, I'm up! Just don't get out the shaving foam!"

This was too much for Max and his laughter could be heard as he walked back into the room.

"Hey, where's Mr Dickinson?"

"He's not here."

Tyson turned to Kai with a confused expression on his face.

"But, I thought I heard Max talking to him at the door."

If Kai allowed himself to face-fault he would have. But since he didn't he settled for sending Tyson an annoyed/disbelieving look.

"Come on Tyson. We've got a park to go to!" Max was gripping Tyson's arm with a strong grip that surprised the blue-haired teen and was trying to pull him out of his sleeping bag.

"Awww, come on Maxy. I need a full eight hours of sleep a night!"

"Tyson..." the blue-haired teen suddenly felt reeeeeaaaaly nervous at the look in Max's face. "If you don't get up I'll go and ring Mr Dickinson and invite him round. I'm sure he could think of a few ideas to get you to stay awake."

Tyson blanched and shot out of the sleeping bag quicker than you could say 'beyblade'. Of course since he had been wrapped up in the sleeping bag at the time, and gravity had popped in to say hello, Tyson had a quick and painful meeting with the carpet.

Whoever said carpet is soft never came to stay at Max's house.

Tyson grumbled under his breath and tried to regain some of his, stamped on, chewed out, and bruised dignity. And might I say he failed brilliantly. His dignity had gone away for a vacation and left no forwarding address. Still muttering curses under his breath he shimmied his way out of the sleeping bag and hopped up into a standing position.

"Right. Now that Tyson's up, let's get going!"

Tyson started to protest as he was dragged out of the house.

"But I haven't had any breakfast yet!"

He dug in his heels and attempted to latch onto the door frame.

"Come on Tyson!" Max grunted and pulled at Tyson with a strength Tyson never knew he had. "Let go of the door!"

"NO! I need my food in the morning!"

Tyson's cry had attracted the attention of the other inhabitants of Max's street and several people were coming out of the houses to see what was going on.

"I'll get you some food at the park!" Max ground out between his teeth as he pulled harder. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Kenny and Ray sweatdropped as Tyson pulled off the best impression of a leech they had seen to date, drawing many stares and more than enough laughs for the gathering audience.

Kai rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall. Max was a lot stronger than he looked, and with how hard Max was pulling he would give Tyson five seconds before he let go of the door frame.  
Five..  
Four..  
Three..  
Two..  
One..  
Zero..

As soon as Kai counted down to zero Tyson's fingers slipped and both he and Max went flying a few feet back into the driveway.

A chorus of laughter drowned out Max and Tyson's groans of pain and Max looked up to see that they had gathered a pretty impressive audience.

"He, he..." Max laughed nervously and looked apprehensively at the crowd. "We're here through thursday. Try the veal!"

The crowd laughed one more time, before slowly dissipating, and Tyson turned to Max. "'Try the veal?'"

Max shrugged. "I heard it in a movie somewhere. You try thinking up something better at the spur of the moment!"

"Come on Max. We might as well go now we're out of the house." Kenny walked up to them and Max help Tyson up off the floor.

Max nodded and was nearly pulled off his feet as Tyson grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the park.

"Whoa! Hold up Tyson I can walk by myself you know!"

"I know, but the sooner we get there the sooner I can have some food!"

Max sighed for the umpteenth time that day and gave up trying to reason with Tyson.

Kenny rolled his eyes (AN: Not that you can tell under all that hair! uu) and ran after them shouting: "hey wait for me!"

Ray sweatdropped again as the blur known as Tyson nearly mowed over the little old lady that lived at the end of Max's street.  
Turning around he saw that Kai had disappeared. Seeing as the only place he could have gone was the house Ray headed back inside.

When he reached the living room Ray saw that Kai was packing up the rest of his things.

"So Kai..." he began, and followed Kai's example by packing up his things. "...what are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

Silence was his only answer for a while, and Ray thought that Kai wasn't going to answer him when Kai's voice quietly rang out from his left.

"I'll probably go home."

Ray didn't miss the slight hesitation before Kai said he would be going home. His suspicions from the night before were coming back and he spoke again, trying to keep Kai going with this train of thought.

"I suppose your parents will be missing you after being gone for a while." While he knew that Kai had been home for a few days now, they had been travelling around in the Asian Tournament for quite some time, and so his parents must have missed him. Ray didn't really remember his parents, but he knew that if they were still around now that they would definitely miss him if he had been gone for as long as they had. "We have been gone a long time, so it must have been good to be back with your family again." Ray looked at Kai as he finished speaking and was surprised to see him tense up. "Kai?"

Once again, Kai didn't answer him. He still looked as tense as when Ray had first spoken. Ray suddenly felt really bad and was going to move towards Kai, or say something, or hell, just do something, when Kai broke the silence.

"They won't miss me."

Those four words were spoken so quietly that Ray barely heard them.

"Why not?"

Ray moved closer to Kai as he spoke. As he moved closer he could see that Kai was shaking slightly, and it worried him. He had never seen Kai act like this.

But then... I've never asked him about his family before.

"It's hard for someone to miss you when they are dead."

Kai's voice was so... so empty. Ray felt a wave of compassion wash over him. Oh man. Kai's parents are dead. Geez, now I really feel bad bringing this up. Ray knew exactly how Kai was feeling, because he too had lost his parents. He still didn't remember how. The White Tigers and their village was all he had ever known. He guessed that he had unconsciously suppressed those memories, and he wouldn't be getting them back until he was ready for them.

"I'm so sorry Kai, I shouldn't have asked." Kai didn't answer him, or gave any sign that he had even heard him. He just continued packing up his things.

"So... who do you live with now?" Ray knew he was pushing his luck, but he really wanted to find out the life story behind their team captain. His sharp orange gaze picked up the slight tensing of Kai's shoulders, and he suddenly wondered if he had gone too far.

"Why are you asking me this?"

Kai had turned to face him now, and Ray could see a wide range of emotions flashing through Kai's usually inexpressive eyes, ranging from anger, to sadness, and to an emotion that Ray wasn't sure about.

"Isn't it best if you get things out in the open Kai?" Ray avoided Kai's question and asked one of his own. This was partly because he really didn't know how to answer Kai, and partly because he was hoping that Kai would start to open up to him a bit more.

Just as he was about to give up and go back to packing, Kai seemed to deflate in front of him. Resignation and sadness were vying for attention in his red eyes, which now seemed less like hard stone, and more like a small fire. Warm and beckoning but would still burn you if you got too close. His eyes were less threatening than they usually were, and seemed to draw in all those who stare into their fiery depth.

"Do you really want to know?"

Kai's voice was almost hollow, and there was a hint of desperation in his voice. One that Ray had never heard before and longed to eradicate from Kai's voice.

Ray nodded and followed Kai to the chair, their packing long forgotten.

"What I'm about to tell you, I don't want you to tell the others okay?" Kai's eyes locked with his and Ray couldn't help but nod.  
"I won't tell them anything you don't want me to Kai."

Kai seemed to visibly relax at Ray's words and he started talking. This was one of those times where when you start talking you just can't stop. Not to mention the fact that Ray didn't know if Kai would start talking again if he interrupted. So he just sat back and let Kai get all of what was on his chest out into the open.

"I live in that mansion a few blocks away from here. My Grandfather owns the house, and I have lived there for as long as I can remember." Kai's voice was quiet, subdued, and Ray felt drawn into Kai's tale. "My parents were killed when I was about five, I really don't remember how old I was exactly but I do know that I was only about that age. They were killed in a car-crash. The police said it was a hit and run, that they were killed on impact." Kai's eyes were staring straight ahead, and wasn't looking at anything in particular. It looked to Ray that Kai's mind's eye was far away at the moment. "I was staying with my next door neighbour when a social worker along with a policeman came for me. I didn't fully understand what was going on but I went anyway. I was taken to this huge mansion and I remember standing in front of this huge man with black hair and a piercing gaze. On the car ride there the social worker had told me that I was going to stay with my grandfather for a while. I stood and listened as they talked for a while, and it didn't take long for them to leave. I was soon alone with my grandfather."

Kai laughed bitterly and pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"I remember looking around the house in awe. I had never been in a house this big before, my parent's certainly weren't well off. A tight grip on my arm stopped my exploration and I found myself looking into a pair of cold eyes. For the first time in my life a felt afraid. He must have sensed this because his hands tightened and I started to cry. This did nothing to stop his anger and he hit me." Kai dropped his head onto his knees and Ray felt a rush of anger. How dare anyone hit their child. He really had to will himself not to go and beat the shit out of that good for nothing grandfather of Kai's. But right now, that shaking teen next to him needed him more.  
"Ssshhh." Ray hesitantly reached over and placed his arm over Kai's shaking shoulders. "You don't have to tell me anything else."

Kai ignored him and started speaking again. His voice was rough with tears, and carried a pain of countless fights, injuries and beatings. Ray felt a tear come to his eyes and he realised just how much Kai was hurting. He brought his hand up and quickly wiped it away. Kai needed him to be strong right now.

"As I cried he started to hit me harder. I think he wanted me to realise that crying would get me nowhere with him, and that I would have to harden myself so that no matter what he did I would not shed a tear." He laughed bitterly, the laugh slightly muffled by his knees. "It worked, I haven't cried since that day. I soon learned that I was not to make a sound, that I should only talk when I was spoken to. My grandfather firmly believed in the adage 'Children should be seen and not heard.' If I so much as even made a sound I would be hit." Kai raised his head, and Ray could see tear tracks on his face, "usually it was only enough to give me a bruise for a few days, but one day he hit me too hard and I ended up in hospital for three days. He managed to convince the doctors and nurses that I had been in a fight and had come out the loser. I didn't dare tell them what really happened, as he told me that he would do something to me that I would never forget. I didn't know what it was then, but I do now." Ray really felt angry now. He tried to reign in his anger and focussed on Kai. He would deal with his anger later when he was alone. "Over the years I was hospitalised four times. Each time he came up with a new excuse, even the fact that I was so thin you could count my ribs from across the yard didn't cause any concern as he told them that I was just going through a phase, and that he would get some food into me when we got home. Home..." he scoffed and a single tear trailed its way down his pale cheek. "That place has never been a home to me. The only friendly person there was one of the butlers. When my grandfather (this word was spoken with so much hatred it made Ray flinch) would send me up to my room with no food he would bring some to me from the kitchens. If he hadn't done than then chances are I wouldn't even be here right now." A few more tears crept down Kai's face, going unnoticed by the distraught teen. "It has been that way for as long as I can remember. I was six when I held by first beyblade. I was told it was a blade of great power and that I should feel honoured to be holding it. He brought out the Dranzer bit and I knew there and then that I had to have that bit. I didn't really know why, but there was just this feeling that I had that told me I was destined to have the power of Dranzer on my side. And then began my training. Every single day whilst all the other children were outside playing I would be inside. I was made to practice day in, day out, until I could command the beyblade with ease. It was only when I had defeated one tough kid named Shang that I was finally given Dranzers power. The moment I held the bit in my hands I just knew I would finally be okay." Kai choked on his words and a few tears splashed onto his knees.

"I wasn't always like this Ray. My grandfather wanted me to be perfect. I was cold and ruthless. I didn't care what happened to the other person's beyblade. Often it would be left in pieces on the floor. The beatings and treatment got gradually worse over the years, and..." Kai trailed off and took a few deep breathes to try and calm himself, to try and stop crying enough so he could speak. Tear tracks riddled his face and some of his hair was sticking to his forehead. He sighed and didn't bother to stop a few tears from falling down his face and over his red cheeks.

"Over time I got used to the treatments and I closed my emotions off. I turned my heart, and my soul to ice. I wasn't going to let anyone get near me again. All it brought was pain, and hurt. I had become exactly what my grandfather wanted me to be. The perfect grandson. One that offered no resistance to his actions, one that was nothing but an un-feeling shell. I was nothing better than a robot. A slave. I followed his orders without question, without hesitation. I was a different person than I was before my parents were killed. I didn't even know I was capable of experiencing any emotions, or even having any friends until I met the four of you." He paused and looked over to Ray. Ray looked angry, and understanding, compassion, anger and shock were the main emotions shooting over his face. Along with several that Kai couldn't identify. Kai reached over and grasped Ray's hand with his own, shocking the chinese boy. Ray quickly got over his shock and squeezed the hand in his gently, reassuringly. It seemed that they both needed some kind of physical contact at that moment, something to anchor them to the here and now.

Ray couldn't tear his gaze away from Kai's tear-stained face. A myriad of emotions were rushing through him and his heart went out to the crying boy in front of him. Kai's defences were down and had revealed an emotionally battered and vulnerable teenager. One who had seen so much, yet experienced so little.

Kai pulled his hand out of Ray's and looked away, focussing his watery gaze onto the opposite wall.

"And yet... while you offered me your friendship all I did was push you away. I did nothing but insult you... all of you."

Kai was silent, and Ray couldn't think of anything to say. He was shocked when Kai got up and went to grab his bag. Thinking quickly his hand shot out and grabbed Kai's wrist. He stood up and turned Kai to face him. As Kai's eyes met his Ray saw that they were full of despair and embarrassment for allowing himself to slip this much.

Taking a chance he pulled Kai close to him and slipped his hands around the japanese teens waist. He felt Kai tense and was about to let go when Kai's hesitant hands slipped around his waist. He breathed a silent sigh of relief and felt Kai lay his head onto his shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere until I know that you are okay." he lowered his voice to a whisper, and listened to the slightly laboured breathing of the teen on his shoulder. The arms around his waist tightened slightly and a slightly muffled "arigato" was heard. Ray smiled and said, "hey. Don't worry about it. We're friends aren't we? That's what friends do for each other."

He felt Kai pull away and released his hold on his waist. He smiled gently, and Kai hesitantly returned the smile, before he wiped off the tears and tried to look semi-normal again.

"I'm sorry that I cried over your shirt."

Ray laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I've got several of these in my bag."

Inside Ray was reeling. All this news... it was just so much. He had no idea that Kai's life had been like this. As soon as he was sure that Kai was okay he was going to hunt down that good for nothing grandfather of his and show him just how angry he could be. He was going to live up to the nickname he was given as a child. Back then it had been one of affection and respect, but in this case it meant nothing good for those he fought against.

He was a Tiger, and he would always be a Tiger.

And he was going to show Kai's grandfather just what happens when you rattle the cage of a sleeping tiger.

His sombre thoughts were cut off as Kai was looking at him with an apprehensive look on his face.  
I guess I should tell him.  
"Ray... um... there is something that I have been meaning to tell you for a while. It's nothing to do with what I just told you," he added as he saw Ray's eyebrow raise. "Well, maybe it is sort of... but not exactly... um... what I meant to say is..."

Ray couldn't help the amused grin that broke out on his face. Kai was babbling! He had never seen Kai babble before. But then... he had never seen Kai cry before either.

God, today was turning out to be one weird day.

I wonder what he want's to tell me. It's probably something big if it's making him this nervous. Hmph, what could possibly be bigger than what he just told me?

"Tell you what Kai. Just so you don't get any more nervous than you already are. Why don't you take a leaf out of Tyson's book and just say it. After all I've been told today I don't think anything you say will shock me."

Oh I think I might just shock you then, if you think that Ray.

He closed his eyes for a brief second, drew in a deep breath and forced himself to keep looking at Ray. He hesitantly reached down and grabbed Ray's hand with his own, his heart lifting a bit as he felt Ray's hand tighten around his own.

"Well... I wanted you know that I like you... a lot... and I think I..." Suck it up Kai! Just tell him. Come one, you've fought champion level beybladers, so this can't be much harder. He took a deep breath. "I think I'm in love with you." Kai immediately shut his eyes fearing Ray's reaction.

He had known all along that he had a bond, if you will, with the golden-eyed chinese teenager. But he thought it was one that stemmed from a respect for his skills as a world class beyblader. Over time as he got to know Ray better he suddenly found him noticing things about Ray that he never did with the others. He noticed that Ray's eyes would dim slightly if he was sad, and light up if he was happy. And he couldn't help but notice just how easy on the eyes Ray really was. But it had taken a really long time to figure out that what he felt for Ray was actually love. He had really known that he was in love with him as he had looked into his eyes and told him about how he had never really had any friends, apart from them.

Hearing no sound from Ray he cracked open his eyes before opening them fully.

His heart sank as he opened his eyes.

Ray was sitting there, eyes wide and mouth opened to speak, but no words were coming out. Shock was written all over his face and Kai felt incredibly stupid.  
I'm such an idiot. Now I've gone and scared him away. I knew that I shouldn't have told him anything. He'll probably go running to the guys now and tell them everything.

He felt sadder than he had ever felt in months and quickly pulled his hand out of Ray's. He screwed his eyes shut to try and stop any tears from falling.

"Ray, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done..." his words got no further as he felt Ray's lips on his own. His words stilled in his throat and his brain froze.

Ray was kissing him.

After what seemed like an eternity to Kai Ray pulled away but didn't move too far back. Kai opened his eyes and saw that Ray's face was inches away from his own and his golden orange eyes were staring into his intently.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer right away, you just surprised me that's all." He smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Kai's cheek. "I love you too Kai Hiwatari."

Kai was shocked as those words he had wanted to hear for a while spilled out of Ray's lips. A relieved smile worked it's way over Kai's features, and for the first time in a long while, Kai really felt happy. His eyes were no longer so cold, and hope and love burned bright in their fiery depths.

"You know... you should smile more often. It suits you more than that scowl." Ray said and slowly pulled away from Kai. "Are you okay now?"

Kai nodded and gently entwined his hand with Ray's. "I will be." he answered truthfully and felt Ray's hand tighten in support around his own.

"I hate to bring this up Kai... but are you still going to live with your grandfather?" A distraught look crossed Kai's features again and he really regretted it, but he was always one to finish what he had started, so he ploughed on. "If we could find some proof to show what he has been doing to you then we can fight. Kai, the courts can take away legal custody of a person and give it to someone else. How else do you think me and the other White Tigers have been able to live here. We don't have any parents any more, but we do have a couple from our village who are our legal guardians. I'm sure they would take you in. Especially if I told them what happened-"

"YOU CAN'T TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED!"

Ray frowned and pulled Kai into a hug. "I know you don't want to tell anyone but if you do go through with this you will have to tell the courts what that man did. Just tell them what you told me and everything will be okay."

Kai looked uncertain but nodded.

Making up his mind he turned his face to the left. He wetted his fingers and gently dragged them across his cheek.  
Ray looked at him with a confused expression before gasping. The whole of the right side of his face was an ugly shade of black and blue. He was really surprised that he didn't notice it before.  
"Oh my god... Kai." he reached out slowly with his hand and gently tilted Kai's face towards him. "That's it, I am so gonna kill that bastard of a grandfather of yours! How come I never noticed it before!"

Despite the threat in his words and the slight stinging of his cheek, Kai couldn't help but smile. It was a refreshing change to have someone who was that worried about him. He reached down and placed his hand over the clenched fist of his lover. With his free hand he tilted Ray's head up and their lips met in a gentle kiss.

When they pulled back Kai said, "I covered it up. One of the female butlers had some foundation so I borrowed some. I guess it must have washed off in the rain. Luckily everyone was so caught up in the reunion that they didn't notice."

"I'm still gonna kill him." Ray smiled a small smile, and placed a gentle kiss on Kai's bruised cheek. When he pulled back he spoke again.

"Hey, why don't you stay with me today. I've been meaning to go out with you and we both need some air. Let's head down to the park and see what Tyson and the others are doing."

"What will we tell them?" asked Kai as they left Max's house, their hands still entwined.

"We'll tell them when we aren't in such a public place. Knowing Tyson he'll freak, Max will be shocked speechless and so will Kenny."

Kai laughed slightly. "It would be worth it just to see their faces."

Ray laughed along with him and planted a loving kiss on Kai's temple.

"Let's go and see their reactions then."

Kai felt really happy and for once in his life his thoughts weren't about the best way to defeat their opponents. Kai's eyes narrowed slightly as a thought came to him. The American Tournament was coming up, and they would have to train. In telling Ray his life story it completely slipped his mind.

"Hey Ray.."

"Yeah?"

"The American Tournament is coming up."

"Oh man, I totally forgot about it. We're leaving tomorrow. Guess that won't give us much time to date, or anything like that."

Kai tightened his hand slightly and said, "we won't be able to act like a couple either. At least not when we are in public, and until the guys know, we won't be able to in private either."

"Yeah..." Ray sighed and noticed something up ahead. "Hey, there's the others!" He gripped Kai's hand one last time before releasing it. "Hey guys!"

The three guys looked up from where they were observing a beyblade battle going on between two younger kids.

"Hey Ray, Kai."  
"It's good to see you two. Oh and could I possibly borrow your beyblades later this evening. I have some final modifications to do before we leave for America."  
"Finally! What took you so long."

"Hmph, nothing you need to concern yourself with Tyson. And why aren't you practicing for the tournament?" Kai secretly smiled, it was easy to fall back into old habits. He just wasn't going to distance himself quite so much any more.

"Like you're one to talk Mr Sourpuss, I don't see you practising!"

"I don't need to practice. You on the other hand need all the help you can get."

Ray couldn't help but smile at the banter between his koi and his friend.

Things were finally going okay. And with any luck... it would continue that way into the American Tournament.

He felt Drigers power wash over him and he knew his bit beast felt the same way. He lost Driger once, and there was no way he was going to lose him again.

The American Tournament would be different, but they could handle it.

Ray smiled as he joined his friends by the dish.

Yes...

If they fought with all they had... there was no way they could lose.

The End (or is it?) 


End file.
